Education Qualifications: BSc(Hons), MBBS, PhD (Lond), FRCS(Ed), FRCOphth
Professor Tina Wong is the Head and Senior Consultant of the Glaucoma Department at Singapore National Eye Centre. She was trained at the Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK. She combined her clinical training with academic research and was awarded the prestigious Wellcome Trust Vision Research Fellowship to pursue and complete a PhD at the Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London in Professor Sir Peng T. Khaw’ laboratory. The work of the thesis was in the areas of matrix metalloproteinase and conjunctival wound healing in relation to post-operative scarring from glaucoma surgery. Her research led to the award of the Founders Cup in the Oxford Ophthalmological Congress and the Moorfields Research Medal.
Professor Wong is the Head of the Ocular Therapeutics and Drug Delivery Research Group at the Singapore Eye Research Institute. She holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the National University Hospital System (NUHS). Professor Wong is the Executive Director of the National Health Innovation Centre, NMRC.
Professor Wong’s research interests lie in the development of new ophthalmic therapies , nanomedicine and the innovative application of drug delivery systems to improve on the current medical and surgical treatments in glaucoma and other ophthalmic diseases. Professor Wong has published widely in these areas and has nationally funded research grants amounting to $8M. She holds many patents to her name and is the co-founder of 2 spin off biotech companies that spawned from her research. One of these technologies was awarded the prestigious President’s Science and technology Award (Technology) in 2014. She is also the recipient of the MOH Clinician Scientist Award, the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology distinguished Service Award and the SingHealth GCEO Excellence Award.
Additionally, Professor Wong has presented at numerous international scientific and ophthalmological meetings and has also been invited as a speaker at international conferences as well as academic institutes and universities. She has supervised several PhD students from NTU, and graduate medical students from Duke NUS Medical School.
Professor Wong is the founding President of the Glaucoma Association of Singapore (GLAS), a member of the World Glaucoma Association, and examiner to the Royal College of Edinburgh of Surgeons (Ophthalmology), UK.
Professional Appointments and Committee Memberships:
- Adjunct Professor, Nanyang Technological University
- Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Lo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
- Executive Director, National Health and Innovation Centre, National Medical Research Council
- Co-Chairperson, Transition Award Review Panel, National Medical Research Council
- Member, Clinician Innovator Award Review Panel, Ministry of Health
- Member (Translational), Scientific Grant Review Committee, SingHealth Research Foundation
- Member, Nurturing Clinician Scientist Scheme Grant Review Panel, SingHealth
- Member, SingHealth Innovation Taskforce
- Member, AMRI Strategic Planning Committee
- Member, SNEC Health Research Endowment Fund Committee
- Member, Vision Save and Philanthropy, SNEC
- Co-Chairperson, Program Planning Committee, 9th World Glaucoma Congress 2021
- Associate Advisory Board Member, World Glaucoma Association
Awards:
- EXSA Clinical Service Award (Silver), Singapore National Eye Centre (2016)
- Clinician Scientist Award (Senior Investigator), NMRC Singapore (2015)
- President's Science and Technology Award (Technology) "Devices and nanomedicine for eye diseases" (2014)
- Doug Johnson Memorial Lecture – Anti fibrosis International Congress on Glaucoma Surgery (2014)
- Distinguished Service Award, Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (2011)
- Clinician Scientist Award, NMRC Singapore (2010)
- Moorfields Eye Hospital Research Gold Medal, UK (2006)
- Founders Cup, Oxford Ophthalmological Congress, UK (2006)
- Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship, UK (2000)
- Physiological Society Prize, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK (1992)
Leadership positions / roles in Education:
- Examiner for Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, (Ophthalmology) UK (2014 - present)
Selected Publications:
Valproic acid exerts specific cellular and molecular anti-inflammatory effects in post-operative conjunctiva. Seet LF, Toh LZ, Finger SN, Chu SWL, Wong TT. J Mol Med. Nov 2018 doi: 10.1007/s00109-018-1722-x. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30456449 JIF 4.938
Inhibition of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 prevent conjunctival fibrosis in an experimental model of glaucoma filtration surgery. Chong RS, Lee YS, Chu SWL, Toh LZ, Wong TTL. Invest Ophth Vis Sci. 2017 July;58(9)3432-39 (IF 3.3)
Predicted patient demand for a new delivery system for glaucoma medicine. Ozdemir S, Wong TT, Allingham RR, Finkelstein EA. Medicine (Baltimore) 2017 April;96(5):e6626 (IF 1.803)
Upregulation of distinct collagen transcripts in post-surgery scar tissue: a study of conjunctival fibrosis. Seet LF, Toh LZ, Chu SWL, Finger SN, Chua JLL, Wong TT. Disease Models and Mechanisms 2017 June:10(6):751-60 (IF 4.69)
Sustained antibiotic-eluting intraocular lenses: A new Approach. Tan DW, Lim SG, Wong TT, Venkatraman SS. PLoS One 2016 Oct 11 (10):e0163857 (IF 4.41)
Study on incentives for glaucoma medication adherence (SIGMA): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial to increase glaucoma medication adherence using value pricing. Bilger M, Wong TT, Kaye H, Lee J, Toh A, John G, Lamoureux E, Finkelstein E. Trials 2017 July 17:316 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-016-1459-1 (IF 1.73)
Genome-wide association study identifies five new susceptibility loci for primary angle closure glaucoma. Nature Genetics April 2016 published online doi:10.1038/ng.3540 (IF 29.64)
Valproic acid suppresses collagen by selective regulation of Smads in conjunctival fibrosis. See LF, Toh LZ, Finger SN, Chu SW, Stefanovic B, Wong TT J Mol Med Oct 2015 E Pub (IF 5.107)
How can nanoparticles be used to overcome the challenges of glaucoma treatment? Venkatraman SS, Wong T. Nanomedicine. 2014 Jul 9(9):1281-3 (IF 7.29)
Evaluation of a prednisolone acetate-loaded subconjunctival implant for the treatment of recurrent uveitis in a rabbit model. Ang M, Ng X, Wong C, Yan P, Chee SP, Venkatraman SS, Wong TT. PLoS One. 2014 May 9(5):e97555 (IF 4.41)
Layer by layer nanoparticles as an efficient siRNA delivery vehicle for SPARC silencing. Tan YF, Mundargi RC, Chen MHA, Lessig J, Neu B, Venkatraman SS, Wong TT. Small 2014 May 10(9):1790-8 (IF 8.37)
Sustained drug release in nanomedicine: A long-acting nanocarrier based formulation for glaucoma. Natarajan JV, Darwitan A, Barathi VA, Ang M, Htoon HM, Boey F, Tham KC, Wong TT, Vekatraman SS. ACS Nano Jan 2014 8:419-29 (IF 12.88)
Patient acceptance and attitude towards an alternate method of subconjunctival injection for the medical treatment of glaucoma. Chong RS, Su D, Tsai A, Jiang YZ, Htoon HM, Lamoureux EL, Aung T, Wong TT. J of Glaucoma, 2013, 22(3) 190-4. (IF 2.1)
A new design and application of bioelasters for better control of intraocular pressure in a glaucoma drainage device. Luong QM, Lei Shang, Ang M, Wong TT, Venkatraman SS. Adv Healthcare Materials 2013 July 9 EPub (5.797)
A biodegradable sustained release Prednisolone acetate loaded microfilm drug delivery system effectively prolongs corneal allograft survival in the rat keratoplasty model. Liu YC, Peng Y, Lwing NC, Venkatraman SS, Wong TT, Mehta JS. PLoS One 2013 8(8):e70419 (IF 4.41)
Novel insight into the inflammatory and cellular responses following experimental glaucoma surgery: a roadmap for inhibiting fibrosis. Seet LF, Finger SN, Chu SWL, Toh LZ, Wong TT. Current Mol Med 2013 13;911-28 (IF 4.48)
Acceptance, attitudes and beliefs of Singaporean Chinese towards an ocular implant for glaucoma drug delivery. Foo R, Lamoureux E, Wong R, Ho SW, Chiang P, Rees G, Aung T, Wong TT. Invest Ophthal Vis Sci. 2012 Nov 27 E Pub (IF 3.4)